Rising Cost/Price Of G Scale

[AJtheTeacher]

Hello Fellow G Scalers!

I just got back into G scale (March of 2021) after a 20+ year absence. I was shocked at how much people were asking and occasionally getting for G scale locomotives and rolling stock.

I have several magazines from 2000-2010 and the prices advertised for new locomotives and rolling stock seems quite affordable in comparison to 2022. I wish that I had returned to the hobby much earlier.

High prices for used G scale sure makes scratch building look very attractive............

Enjoy your trains as much as possible! AJ the Teacher

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Some people are gouging... Notice the price for Aristo Dash 9's ? That is why Bachmann is going to build them from the Aristo molds.

As Joe Pesci said "it's always about the dollars"

Greg

 

[Rhinochugger]

No need to worry about the cost of G scale - have you seen the cost of the smaller scales?

Let's forget UK 0 gauge - that's in the stratosphere - but an 00 gauge coach £60, bogie wagon £40 - £50. 009 locos around £200 before DCC, i could go on ..............

Makes G scale look pretty good value to me

 

[mike]

Its worth excatly what the next person buys it for..

 

[dunnyrail]

No need to worry about the cost of G scale - have you seen the cost of the smaller scales?

Let's forget UK 0 gauge - that's in the stratosphere - but an 00 gauge coach £60, bogie wagon £40 - £50. 009 locos around £200 before DCC, i could go on ..............

Makes G scale look pretty good value to me

Indeed so, whilst it is nice to have a big set and I do consider myself lucky to have over 50 wagons circulating my line on an operating day. But I well remember my start in G where I had just 5 wagons, 2 coaches, a Stainz, a Tram and 1 live steamer with just 6 points on my line. I got as much Timetabling enjoyment out of that line (back in the 80’s) as I do from my current line. Oh and the live steam rarely gets used these days. Less is more when starting out and the joy of building a larger collection comes with the time, years, effort and yes cost required to build it. Costs are relative, I remember when I was building my collection of G wagons where a Toy Train Wagon good be obtained for £10, sometimes less around the turn of this century.

 

[Hal Farsed]

Prices are going through the roof. I would love a new live steam locomotive. But I will not pay the prices thay are asking. I cannot justify that much for a toy. The latest belly laugh is a well known retailer wanting £1995 for a Chinese live steam 0-6-0 tank engine. PFFFFT.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Back to the tiny scales, Bachmann have announced an all-singing, all-dancing, 00 Class 37 (double-ended Co-Co diesel for those outside the UK) with sound, smoke and super-detailing with a price northwards of £300

 

[Paradise]

No need to worry about the cost of G scale - have you seen the cost of the smaller scales?

Let's forget UK 0 gauge - that's in the stratosphere - but an 00 gauge coach £60, bogie wagon £40 - £50. 009 locos around £200 before DCC, i could go on ..............

Makes G scale look pretty good value to me

The added benefit of G scale is that I can see it.

 

[Madman]

Hello Fellow G Scalers!

I just got back into G scale (March of 2021) after a 20+ year absence. I was shocked at how much people were asking and occasionally getting for G scale locomotives and rolling stock.

I have several magazines from 2000-2010 and the prices advertised for new locomotives and rolling stock seems quite affordable in comparison to 2022. I wish that I had returned to the hobby much earlier.

High prices for used G scale sure makes scratch building look very attractive............

Enjoy your trains as much as possible! AJ the Teacher

I see that you read my post of 2018, where the same subject arose as it usually does from time to time.

As others have pointed out, the cost of our hobby is all relative. I have been in the large scale part of model railroading since 1991. Before that I was into "O" gauge Lionel.

The cost of each of these scales is about the same, relatively speaking. I have spent as much as $375.00 for a single locomotive in "G" scale. Yes, there are locos that cost much more, but I don't go there.

The same applies to "O" scale. Lionel and MTH both have locos that cost well over one thousand dollars. I don't go there either. Instead, since I have resurrected my "O" gauge hobby, I buy mostly post-war Lionel trains, those manufactured up to 1969. With particular interest in the early post-war period, up to the mid fifties.

When I was into "O" gauge the first time, 1977-1991, post-war trains were selling at higher prices than they are now, relatively speaking.

The same goes for used "G" scale trains. I have found that prices have leveled off on Ebay for instance. One indicator is that most Ebay listings are 'Buy it now or best offer". Sellers, including myself, know that buyers have become savvy and most will not want to start a bidding war, knowing they would only drive prices higher.

One more thought about the cost of our hobby, if you're still reading. People outside of the wonderful hobby of model railroading often question our willingness to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars and pounds on toy trains. I cringe when hearing it said by probably well meaning people. Yet these same folks think nothing of the money they might spend on golf, boating, hunting, coins, etc., etc., etc.

 

[AJtheTeacher]

I am sure that all of you are correct, but I am going to hope that the prices become more reasonable. I do applaud Bachmann for considering re-issuing the Dash-9 but personally I think the the SD45 may have been a better choice.

I purchased almost all my G scale lightly used or in need of repair. I have enough rolling stock but I am still looking for just a few pieces to round out my collection.

Enjoy your trains as much as possible! AJ the Teacher

 

[dunnyrail]

Prices are going through the roof. I would love a new live steam locomotive. But I will not pay the prices thay are asking. I cannot justify that much for a toy. The latest belly laugh is a well known retailer wanting £1995 for a Chinese live steam 0-6-0 tank engine. PFFFFT.

There are other options for live steam, in the January Garden Rail Kent Garden Railways is advertising a brand new Accucraft Dora for £495, Dream Steam advertising a Mamod at 412.50. Ok perhaps not as fancy as perhaps the Chinese one, but give a good start at an affordable price comparatively. Afyer all why would one want to spend 2k on ones first live steam (if that is what it would be) when you can learn on something at considerably less cost. After all live steam is not for everyone.

 

[DafyddElvy]

Lucky for me my interest is mainly limited to trams when it comes to purchasing items, I recently saw an LGB tram minus power bogie on flea bay which sold for about £180. I do know that folk value the LGB tram power truck higher than the Bachmann one but fail to understand how a very basic model can make £180 when it didn't have a power truck, this was definitely a case of it sold for what a buyer would pay.

Live steam I believe has the asking price it does because few people, relatively speaking, build their own live steam models these days. Modelling in any scale from 0 gauge and over has seen a big change in modellers direction of interest, their was a time when most 0 scale modellers were also, to some extent, scratch builders, these days you could have a complete model railway in 0 gauge and not scratch build any track or stock.
What I also think has happened in the last few years, especially with covid lockdown, is more folk have found the hobby and realised there is more to the hobby than just your "Hornby" trainset, this has in turn created a new growing market for people to sell in to and being a new group of followers they are unsuspectingly paying more for items which has pushed the price of second hand items up, I believe the sellers of new models has seen this new source of costumers and this has also pushed up the price of new models.

Suppliers will quote you all sorts of reason for the cost of things going up, material availability because of covid, import duty because of brexit, the willingness of importers and exporters to buy and sell items with britain because of the confusion over the import and export process since 2021, and more. all valid reasons to an extent and something we as modellers just have to live with.

in 2021 I wanted to buy a pair of Bachman trams from a seller in Germany, I didn't purchase the models because of the grief and cost of purchasing the models from Europe, it took a quick look on the www to establish I could have flown to Germany and got a taxi to the sellers house and back home for less than the cost of effectively importing the models.

My own crystal ball, if I had one, would probably suggest that in 4-5 years the market place will settle down, I suspect we will see more suppliers making items available and it wouldn't surprise me if some models which sell for £1,600 second hand today sold for less than this in ten years, just basing this on how things have gone with other scales such as 0 Gauge.

Unfortunately its a sellers market and there isn't a great deal we can do about it. I don't like sounding full of doom and gloom but its the world we live in just now.


David

 

[Paul M]

I think a lot of the problem is that people expect far too much from the manufacturer. Their models are (usually) now far more intricate and detailed than their offerings of 10 years ago, and this level of detail needs to be paid for. Whether or not this detail gives anymore pleasure, if it can be seen of course, is debatable. I have an Accucraft Dora, which is a very simple box of an engine, and an Accucraft Lyn, which is quite detailed, they both give a lot of enjoyment, but I'm always worried about breaking the Lyn's detailed parts

 

[Greg Elmassian]

The opening statement compares 2021 prices to 2000 to 2010 prices.

Inflation alone from 2000 has added over 50% to the price of everything.

There were also more discount dealers and higher volume.

I don't see anything weird, my water bill used to be $165 a month 20 years ago, last one was $500

 

[GAP]

The opening statement compares 2021 prices to 2000 to 2010 prices.

Inflation alone from 2000 has added over 50% to the price of everything.

There were also more discount dealers and higher volume.

I don't see anything weird, my water bill used to be $165 a month 20 years ago, last one was $500

The cost of freight for me is the biggest killer, if I purchase something it is invariably overseas and the freight can be higher than the item cost.

 

[Chris Vernell]

The cost of freight for me is the biggest killer, if I purchase something it is invariably overseas and the freight can be higher than the item cost.

That can and does happen when a parcel from the U.S.A, crosses the border into Canada , especially when FedUPS get involved.

 

[Martino]

Tried to buy a bottle of a particular Scotch single malt the other day. Cost of whisky $57.00. Cost of mailing $78.00!

 

[phils2um]

Tried to buy a bottle of a particular Scotch single malt the other day. Cost of whisky $57.00. Cost of mailing $78.00!

It's enough to drive one to drink! (if you can afford it)

 

[ARIA31]

Yes prices are very high but the LGB stock on the LGB web site shop is very very low.
The usual retailers I am using in Germany have nothing to sell as well with LGB.
I was looking to buy wagons . No way . So I bought USA trains.
What is the reason of this lack of supply ?

 

[Paradise]

Yes prices are very high but the LGB stock on the LGB web site shop is very very low.
The usual retailers I am using in Germany have nothing to sell as well with LGB.
I was looking to buy wagons . No way . So I bought USA trains.
What is the reason of this lack of supply ?

One of the main LGB retailers in Australia seems much the same. I had a look the other day on his website and apart from a few replacement parts, he has very little stock on offer. Marklin-LGB prices are ridiculous though. Reissued items about 3 times the price of similar second hand items. Newly produced models may be justified perhaps. Who buys the regular new stuff when there are plenty of almost new condition items on the second hand market? A new crocodile for well over 4 grand AU. I paid about AU$500 for a near perfect one 6 years or so back.